Foreign Emotions
by Migisi
Summary: When part of Garys past is revealed to the Task Force, Ghost goes to comfort him as a friend, only to be met with new feelings. Will he be able to keep them at bay? Rated M for possible slash in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Another random thought that just came to mind… (that seems to be happening a lot lately)… enjoy. **

Sitting on his bunk Roach scrunched his nose as he tried to hold back a sneeze as dust floated throughout the air. He returned his attention back to the Gameboy he had been sent, courtesy to a friend stationed in Germany. Across from him on the opposite bunk Meat sat typing away on his computer, absorbed in who knows what. Chemo was bunked on top of Meats bed reading a book that seemed to be absolutely boring considering the look of pure misery on his face. Roach looked back to Meat who had suddenly tensed. Roach raised an eyebrow as he continued to look from the screen back to Roach. After the fourth time Roach sighed.

"What could possibly be so interesting?"

"Uh…" Meat said dumbly. Chemo leaned over the bunk to see what he was looking at. He too glanced up at Roach and back down at the screen again. He whistled, "Damn, how old are you Roach?"

Gary furrowed his eyebrows but responded, "25, why? What are you looking at?"

Meat immediately slammed the top of his laptop down just before Roach could get a glance. Roach raised his hands in annoyance, "Ok fine. I don't care." And with that he sat back on his bed, ignoring the glances from his two friends.

Lunch…

Roach sat at the end of the table, stabbing at his food in annoyance as now Meat, Chemo, Toad, Archer, and Rocket all looked at Meats computer. He didn't get what could be so interesting and for whatever reason he couldn't see it had him bubbling with frustration. Ghost and Soap had noticed this by now and were getting curious themselves. Soap and Ghost looked at each other and had a mental contest over who would handle this probably soon to be drama. Ghost gave in and got up and made is way over to Gary.

"Hey bug, what's going on?"

Gary glanced up at his Lieutenant before stabbing at his food. "For reasons I cannot fathom they won't let me see what they're looking at."

Ghost glanced at the pout on the sergeant's face. He sighed.

"I'll see what's going on. Aye?"

Roach simply nodded as he watched Ghost walk over to the computer.

As Ghost got to the computer he pause suddenly as he saw what was on the screen. He shoved Meat out of his chair so he could get a better view. On the screen was a picture of Roach when he was about 23, posing in a rather seductive pose with nothing more than some briefs. _"Rather low briefs"_ Ghost noted to himself. His eyes fallowed the patterns of Roach's abs as he flicked through the multiple pictures. He felt a sturring in his lower stomach. The feeling startled him, and as he tried to ignore the sudden feeling he barked out,"What the… where the bloody hell did you find this?"

"Meat found it." Toad chiped in.

Ghost moved his gaze to Meat who shuffled uncomfortably. "Well the military issued briefs are uncomfortable…" Ghost laughed suddenly, but was then caught off by an audible screech, then the sound of Meats laptop being slammed shut. Everybody turned around to see a beat red Roach, his cheeks crimson. At first there was an awkward silence then ever so softly Meat spoke.

"So… were they comfortable?"

With lips pursed in anger and embarrassment, Roach turned sharply on his heels and stomped out of the room. Ghost glared at Meat.

"Awww shite. I thought we sweeped and cleared all those…"**(1)** Soaps voice was heard from behind. Everyone glanced back at him who only shook his head. Ghost sighed.

"Nobody's gonna go after him are they." He looked up to see everyone shaking their head. He looked at Soap who nodded at him. His meaning was clear, he was one of Gary's best pals, and it should be him. "Well, I'd better go see how he's doing." Ghost stood up and walked away, though by the time he got to Roach's door he had absolutely no idea what to say. He knocked softly on the door.

"Piss off!"

Ghost raised an eyebrow. "Is that really any way to talk to a superior mate?" After a long pause he heard some shuffling before the door creaked open.

"If you're here to tease me get it out." Roach said while looking down at his feet.

Ghost smiled behind his mask, even though Roach couldn't see it. "I didn't come to tease, now let me in?" he said softly. For a moment Roach didn't move, but slowly his eyes shifted upward, then slowly he nodded. As he opened the door a little more and moved out of the way, Ghost slipped in the room and gently closed the door behind him. He watched as Roach slowly trudged over to his bed and plopped down on the edge, throwing his head into his hands, his body hunched. Ghost fallowed and sat next to him.

"I just want you to know I'm not gonna judge you over something like that."

Roach shrugged. "I was young. Well… younger. Money was tight, and I got a job offer. When I joined the Task Force they were supposed to wipe out all previous records of me, ya know, like they do for everyone. I guess they just missed a few…" with that Gary sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "I feel so embarrassed, I'll never here the end of it from Meat, I just know it. Now everyone will start thinking I'm a freakin' stripper or something."

Ghost looked at Gary for a moment, that feeling in his stomach once more making its way the surface. Ghost furrowed his eye brows, feeling slightly disturbed by it. Ignoring it he put his arm over Gary's shoulder and pulled him close for a small hug. Gary tensed for a moment before he relaxed and let himself be enveloped in Ghosts body warmth. He sighed with content, his muscles slowly relaxed. Ghost rested his chin on top of Gary's head.

"Don't worry about it. If I hear one peep out of the others I'll make sure it won't happen again." He felt Gary nod against his chest and he squeezed the younger mans shoulder as a comfort before gently prying him away, almost feeling regretful for doing so. He looked at Gary before speaking, "I have to go do some paperwork so MacTavish doesn't hurt himself" he smirked, "if you need me you know where to find me." Gary nodded again before looking down at his hands. Ghost got up and walked towered the door. Just as he reached for the door knob Roach spoke.

"Ghost?"

Ghost turned to face him. Gary looked slightly embarrassed, his cheeks flush, his brown eyes innocent. Ghost felt his heart lurch and his breath catch in his throat at the new feelings that now swarmed his body. In his eyes Gary looked… beautiful? The way his sharp jaw curved, his deep brown eyes, slightly longer hair, soft lips, and broad shoulders all made him look, well, perfect. Never before had he quite looked at Roach in this way. He cleared his throat, trying to rid his mind of these new thoughts.

"Aye?"

"Thank you."

Ghost nodded curtly, than quickly exited the room. As he closed the door he leaned his back against the wall in the hall as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. He analyzed the feelings that were flowing throughout his body. Then he froze. He leaned his head against the wall as a single thought passed through his head.

"_Am I in love?"_

**Well, how was it? This is probably the most serious story I've written, and am seriously contemplating whether I should continue it. What do you think? I don't want to type up 8 chapters so no one will read them. Review? Please keep in mind I've never seriously written any stories until now. Seriously.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok I decided I'd try and continue this for a bit more. **

**Thank you FirstNobody and Alternate Life Story! Your reviews totally made my day X5.**

Roach nuzzled his head into his pillow as he slowly started to wake up. He sighed deeply and let his mind wander. His thoughts strayed back to the events of yesterday and he flipped onto his back, now wide awake. He glanced over to the sleeping form of Meat, then up at the ceiling. Roach rubbed his eyes as he soon thought about the day ahead of him. "fuuuuuuuck."

Roach got dressed slowly, not in the mood to face anybody. As he slowly walked to the mess hall, he couldn't help but notice all the stares he received. Roach hung his head as he entered the room, the volume lowering considerably as he headed over to get his food. Of course as he sat down at his normal table with Meat and the lot, a snicker was heard at the end of the table. Roach looked up to see none other than Meat, with a huge grin on his face.

"So pretty boy. Do you think you could spare me some of those briefs? After all, they did look like they had good support." Gary visibly stiffened. "But I might need a bigger size, ya know." Gary glared at Meat who had a shit eating grin on his face now. Gary looked back down at his plate before slowly scooting out of his chair, stood up stiffly and mumbled, "I'm not hungry," before walking out of the room. Just as he exited he passed by Ghost who was just walking in.

"Is everything all right mate?" he asked quietly. The look on Gary's face had him worried. Gary only nudged past him, nodding slightly, before heading back to his room to change into his PT gear. Ghost looked over to where Meat sat and saw him laughing. Ghost stared at Meat long enough for the entire table to become aware of it. As they all began squirming under the skull balaclava and dark red sunglasses, he finally looked away, thinking that his point had gotten across, and headed over to get some food, letting Roach have some time to himself.

Later…

Gary huffed as he pulled himself over the brick wall of the obstacle course they were running. As he ran over the finish line he reached for his water bottle, only to realize it wasn't there. He looked around confused until he saw Meat drinking from it. "Hey, that's mine you big oaf." Meat only shrugged as he chugged it down. As he dropped it down onto the sandy floor of the desert Gary glared at him.

"Thanks a lot."

"No problem stripper boy." Meat replied smugly.

"What'd you call me?" Gary asked more confused than anything.

"I said, 'no problem stipper boy.'".

Gary clenched his hands into fist as he turned to look at Meat face to face.

"Take… that… back." He growled. He was fed up with this shit, he had been having to deal with this shit for hours now and was getting sick of it fast.

Meat merely shrugged again. "Why should I? It's the truth. It's not my fault you like to strip."

Ghost who was nearby when he said this was about to scream at Meat for the fourth time that day and was about to send him on another 2 mile run before a blood curdling scream filled the air. Before he could move to interject Roach had leapt at Meat. Ghost definitely hadn't expected that. At first he was too stunned to move as Roach threw himself at Meat. He watched as Roach threw a right then left hook before a quick jab to Meats nose, blood spurting out and surely broken, before grabbing Meats right arm and hooking his leg behind Meats knee, throwing him to the ground where he continued to pummel him. Ghost had time to think "_that's why he's in the Task Force" _before he finally snapped out of his shock and wrapped his arms around Gary's torso, hauling him backward off of Meat. Ghost fell backward onto his butt, Gary in his lap, both of their legs sprawled out as Gary awkwardly tried to struggle out of his grasp. Ghost felt sorrow for the younger man. Gary had never acted like this, never shown any sign of aggression, and had never ever thrown a punch on his own team mates, the fact that he had worried Ghost as the younger man continued to struggle against him. As Meat walked away with Chemo and Rocket at his sides, groaning while holding his nose, the rest of the team started to gather around as Ghost continued to restrain the now crying Sergeant.

"Gary!" Ghost yelled. Never before had he called him by his real name, but that was the only thing that seemed to make sense in his head. The response was what he had expected. Immediately Gary froze in his lap. Ghost put his right hand on Gary's forehead and his left arm across his chest, pulling Gary back against him. Ghost ignored the close proximity and the stares of the group that was around them. He put his mouth close to Gary's ear, "I want you to go straight to MacTavishe's office. I'll meet you there in a few minutes." Ghost slowly loosened his grip on Gary. As Gary sat up from his lap he couldn't help but feel the muscles that rippled under his shirt. As he walked away Ghost eyed Gary from behind. He had to admit he loved the way Gary's loose cargo pants hung on his hips. Suddenly Ghost felt a prickling in his back and he soon remembered the Task Force members that were standing behind him. He got up slowly, glad for the balaclava that was now hiding the crimson blush on his cheeks, and turned to look behind him. Many of the men were giving him peering looks while some were looking absolutely confused.

"Trainings over for the day. I don't want to hear a word about this from anyone." And with that he walked away towered MacTavishe's office.

**I know it was shorter, but I think the content makes up for that… I hope. Tell me what ya think about it so far, if you would be so kind.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well I actually felt motivated to write the 3****rd**** chapter, so here goes.**

MacTavish ran his right hand threw his hair as he stared at the computer screen. He glanced over tiredly at the huge pile of papers Shepard had dropped off and sighed. He let out a loud yawn and leaned back in his chair, closing his strained eyes. Just as he was getting comfortable his door slowly creaked open. He peeked an eye open to see a tense Gary, eyes puffy and red, and upon closer inspection, what looked like seriously bruised knuckles with, _'Shit, is that blood on his knuckles?'. _The young man sniffled.

"Excuse me sir. Ghost told me to come in here and wait for him…"

John only nodded at him for a second. He cleared his throat, "Uh, well take a seat." He gestured to a chair sitting in-front of his desk. When the sergeant got seated he turned back to his laptop, starting to type again, ignoring the sniffles that continued to come from the chair. He didn't have to wait long for Ghost to arrive. When he entered he raised an eyebrow. Ghost was literally covered from head to toe in dirt. He leaned back in his chair again and rested his hands behind his head. He nodded his head towered the second chair in-front of his desk and Ghost sat down silently. John raised an eyebrow and looked at the two expectantly. "Well?"

"Roach beat the hell out of Meat."

John glanced at Gary to see the man look down guiltily and hiccup. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "Roach… beat up… Meat." He said, the words sounding weird on his tongue. He looked at Gary to see that he was unscathed besides the knuckles. He reached behind his desk and gave Gary some tissues who used them to both blow his now running nose and knuckles. He looked back at Ghost, "Why?" Ghost glanced at Gary and felt sadness for the younger man. He knew how guilty Gary must feel about the whole situation. In all honesty he wished they were alone right now like they had been yesterday, his arms wrapped around the smaller man. "I felt that he should tell you."

Gary looked wearily at Ghost. He had taken his sunglasses off and was looking at him strangely. His blue eyes showed an emotion he had never seen before. He thought nothing of it and looked at his captain.

"Uh… well, ever since yesterday, Meat's been a real bitch about the whole incident, and I've been dealing with his crap all day. Then he called me a stripper and I just… well…" he looked over at Ghost, almost pleading for help. Ghost cleared his throat.

"Here's the thing 'Tavish. The things the guys pulled out there today was bull. I'd like some time to… work with them. Roach won't have to partake in this so, because I know he won't ask for it, I'd like to request that Roach take it easy for a few days to," at this Ghost paused to look at the stunned face of Gary, who was looking at him incredulously, "well to clear his head for one."

John looked at Ghost for a moment, reading his eyes. He knew Ghost thought fondly of Gary, but he didn't expect this show of such, gentleness. Normally he'd just tell the kid to toughen up and deal with it, but this was a new side of him that even he hadn't seen. John slowly nodded and looked over at Gary.

"You ok with this Roach?"

Gary nodded dumbly as he looked back at Ghost who wasn't meeting his eyes. "Yeah… sure…"

John nodded again and looked between the two. "Fine, then I don't see the problem with it. Roach you got two days to get it together. Ghost I want to talk to you for a minute, Roach you can go."

Gary nodded and slowly walked towered the door. He looked at Ghost and finally met his eyes. What he saw there startled him. The way Ghost looked at him made him feel, well, small. He watched as Ghost raked his eyes over his body, and Gary tensed. When Ghost met his eyes again they widened a bit and his body tensed. Gary blushed awkwardly and quickly exited the room, his body feeling like it was burning from Ghosts gaze. When he left the room and started walking down the hall, his thoughts went back to what had just occurred. Had Ghost seriously just asked him to "take it easy"? When the hell did he ever go easy on him? When did Ghost go easy on anyone? And the way he had looked at Gary made him feel all the more curious. Gary shook his head as he headed back to his room. Since he didn't have to do anything for the day, a nap sounded like a great idea at the moment.

Back to Ghost and John…

When Gary exited the room Ghost immediately slammed his head down as hard as possible onto Johns desk, forgetting the man who was sitting at it. He honestly hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it did and leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. "FUCK! Such an idiot!" Not only had he just been caught staring at Gary like a perv, but his head was seriously hurting. Right then he paused and looked at John who was staring at him like he had gone mad. Well, he kinda was, but still. "I can explain." He said, not able to think of anything else.

John smirked at his friend who was now rubbing his head. "Ok so what's up between you and Gary?" John already had a guess, but he enjoyed seeing his friend in an awkward state, it was just too rare of a moment not to enjoy.

Ghost glared at him. "You are such an asshole." John shrugged.

"I can be when I want to be. Now start talking. You look like you had a tumble in the dirt."

Ghost sighed and ripped his mask off, pushing down the shock of strawberry blonde hair that was sticking strait up. He rubbed his hands down his face and groaned. Where the hell did he start. _"Well you see John, I just fell in love with one of my own subordinates and am currently questioning whether I'm gay or not. Got any advice on relationships?" _He looked up at John to see him staring at him, his mouth slightly open. Ghost froze and his jaw hung open. "Fuck I said that out loud."

John stared at Ghost for a moment and rubbed his jaw.

"It's just that when I see him so upset, it… well it almost hurts me in the process. I don't know. I just feel so confused." Ghost hung his head in his hands.

"So, does he know?" He watched as Ghost silently shook his head. "Well, what do you want me to say? I can't tell you what to do. If I were you though, I'd take it easy. I have no problem with you being with him, if it ever comes to that, but if you want him, you're gonna have to ease into it. I don't want him to be distracted on any missions because his XO started hitting on him."

Ghost raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected John to take the subject so easily. John looked at his friends expression and smiled.

"Simon, you're my best friend. I don't give a fuck what you do in your life as long as it doesn't get in the way of anyone's job. And as for the guys, I'll talk to them first. Come on, let's go have some fun, shall we?"

Ghost smirked. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

John laughed. "I think I have a vague idea."

Not long after…

"I WANT ALL YER ARSES OUTSIDE AND IN FORMATION WITHIN 30 SECONDS! MOVE!"

Ghost smirked under his mask and sunglasses as he watched the entire Task Force shoving each other out the door as they scrambled to get into the near long lost memory of formation. Ghost looked at his watch as 50 seconds went by and people were still scrambling outside to find there designated spots. He looked up at 65 seconds to see that people were finally in their places. He shook his head and looked at the captain who, though his face was serious, had a glint in his eyes that Ghost knew only too well. Ghost moved in behind his captain by a few feet and crossed his arms, glaring at the company in-front of him.

"Well that bloody well sucked." He mumbled. John snorted and eyed the men, then cleared his voice.

"Can anyone tell me where Roach is?" he said in a deathly cool voice. Ghost looked over at Archer who visibly gulped. "How 'bout Meat?" John looked around at the group of men, the tension in the air making Ghost smirk. He raised an eyebrow as Archer stepped forward. John snapped his head over at him. "You know Archer?" The man slightly nodded his head and gulped. "Well go on then, tell us."

"Well Meat's at the medical tent with a broken nose, two missing teeth, and a concussion."

Ghost couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"And how the hell did that happen?" John inquired.

Archer stuttered, "We… Well Roach… uh… beat him up."

John raised his eyebrows as if this was new news. "Roach, the most gentle out of all of you. The kid who wouldn't even hurt a fly, beat up Meat. Now why would he do that?" This time he scanned his eyes over each man. Ghost noticed a few shuffle their feet. Suddenly Ghost felt rage build up in him. His blood boiling he watched as not one man stepped up. He groweled and stepped forward so he was in-front of John and continued walking so he was standing directly in-front of Chemo and Rocket. "Not ONE of you guys know! Let me help you remember. Because you guys have you're bloody heads stuck up your arses, Roach now has leave so he doesn't have to deal with you pricks while he gets over the fact that his team mates verbally assaulted him for the entire day over a thing he did YEARS ago, and that he now regrets more than EVER because of you FUCKIN IDIOTS!" He jabbed a finger into Chemos chest and groweled as he took of his sunglasses so he could meet Chemos eyes. In a deathly calm voice he continued, "You pull any more shit like this, I will screw you up so bad you'll be out of the Task Force." He shoved Chemo backward so he stumbled and turned to look at Rocket for a moment. He smirked as the man visibly gulped. He looked up at the Task Force that was now staring at him with clear fright in their eyes. "That goes for ALL of you. The captain and I will NOT TOLERATE this behavior any further! If you so much as hurt Roach, verbally OR physically, you're out of here, and that's a guarantee." Ghost stared for a few more seconds before slipping his sunglasses back on and slowly walked back to his spot behind MacTavish. He took a shuddering breath that he hoped nobody had noticed as he tried to loosen his shoulders. MacTavish looked back at him for a second, then back at the company in-front of him.

"Do I really need to say anything?" MacTavish sighed. Ghost watched as everyone quickly shook their heads no. "Good. You're dismissed." Ghost watched as the entire group dispersed faster than they had gathered. He looked at MacTavish who had now pinched his nose between his thumb and middle finger.

"You sure do know how to put on a show Simon. I gotta hand it to ya, that was kinda scary. What I'm wondering though is if that was more for show, or more or less you're emotions showing."

Ghost just shrugged weakly, "It got em scared didn't it."

MacTavish nodded. "True that. Just don't let your emotions get the best of you. Why don't we call this a day. I've got paperwork to do, and I'm guessing you could use a break."

Ghost only nodded and slowly walked away. He wanted to see Gary. Of all the people he would be able to comfort him, even if the kid didn't realize it. Ghost smiled just at the thought of Gary. As he made his way to Roach's room he quietly knocked on the door. When Roach didn't come to the door he slowly opened the door and peaked in. He saw Roach snuggled up in his bed with the blanket tucked up to his chin. Ghost thought for a moment, questioning whether it was a good idea or not to go in. He ignored his gut's warning and silently stepped into the room, closing the door gently behind him. Suddenly he felt exhausted, and his shoulders sagged as he dragged his heavy boots over to the edge of Roach's bed. He looked down at the young man and observed how his shaggy hair hung over his forehead. He crouched down so that his face was even with Gary's. He traced his gaze over Gary's eyelashes that swept outward, casting shadows over his face, how soft his skin looked, the way his face relaxed in his sleep. He felt the tickle of Gary's breath on his face and smiled gently. Ghost tentively brushed away a stray hair that had fallen across Gary's cheek. Ghost sighed quietly and stood up to leave when he felt a hand on his knee.

"Ghost?"

Ghost paused for a moment, his heart beating rapidly.

"Aye?"

"What are you doing?"

Ghost looked down at the deep brown eyes that looked up at him. Ghost tried to make up an excuse, but his brain drew up a blank.

"Uuuh… I was… um." Ghost clenched his jaw in frustration at himself. How could he be so stupid? He knew Gary was a light sleeper. He mentally hit himself as Gary stood up slowly. Ghost couldn't help but stare at the bare yet muscular chest that had been uncovered. Ghost tore his gaze away to see Gary looking at him oddly. He swore lightly under his breath.

"I was just uuuh, checkin' on ya mate." He looked at Gary quizzically as he saw the younger man smirk. He flinched as Gary slowly slid his sunglasses off. "Um, what are ya doin?" he mumbled as Gary set his sunglasses down on the nightstand next to the bed.

"I was thinking…" Ghost froze as Gary slipped his fingers under his balaclava. Ghost took a step back as he started to slip the material upward.

"Er, I don't think that's a good idea…"

Gary simply laughed breathily and moved his hands back under his mask. Ghost wearily looked at Garys face. When he felt air on his lips he quickly snatched Garys wrists with his hands, stopping the mask from going up any higher. He looked into Gary's eyes. "I don't want you to… well…" he didn't know how to tell Gary that he was honestly scared of Gary seeing his scars. Scared of himself. Scared of his past. Scared of losing Gary. Gary frowned at him.

Gary jerked his hands towered himself, pulling Ghost flush up against him. He looked down at Ghosts now revealed lips, then at the bright blue eyes that were looking down at him. He watched the eyes flicker around the room, not making eye contact with him.

"Ghost." He watched with satisfaction as the eyes locked with his. He looked at the lips that were now just in-front of his face. He had been watching Ghost. He had heard what Ghost had told MacTavish in the office, and honestly, he couldn't be more thrilled. He watched as Ghost swallowed, then as Ghost opened his mouth to take in a deep breath, Gary leaned in and pressed his lips against the others. As he moved his mouth, at first nothing happened, but it didn't take long for Ghost to start moving along. Gary smirked as he felt Ghost groan against his mouth and push against him. Ghost's grip loosened on his wrists and Gary slid his hands under Ghosts mask to grasp the hair that was underneath. He tugged on the hair and felt Ghost swipe his tongue against his lower lip and happily granted access. This time it was Garys turn to groan as he felt Ghosts hands wrap around him and rest on his lower back, lightly brushing his skin while their tongues explored the new territory. When he finally separated their lips Gary looked up into Ghosts eyes to see him looking at him questioningly. Gary laughed at how roughed up Ghost looked. His mask was all askew, hair flew out from the front of his mask, and his eyes themselves were looking a little wild. The smirk that was forming on his lips finished the look. Gary raised an eyebrow at the older man. He watched as Ghost yawned wildly and he couldn't help but laugh. He tugged Ghost over to his bunk.

"Come on. You're tired and my bed is cold." He winked at Ghost who looked around bewildered.

"Won't um, what about the others?"

"Awww, it's just a nap."

Ghost looked at his new lovers pout and fell apart. How could you ignore him? He slowly nodded his head.

"Fine, but you better wake me up."

"Don't worry, I'll set my alarm."

Ghost sighed contentedly as he squeezed in behind Gary, wrapping his arms around his waist. He curled around Gary who fit perfectly against his body. Ghost rested his head on top of Gary's and smiled. He listened to Gary's breathing and couldn't help but let it lullaby him into a deep sleep.

**Ok not the greatest of chapters. Sorry it took so long. Schools been hectic and I had the hardest of times getting my words right. I know there are a few spots that are a little jumpy and repetitive, sorry about that, but I have the feeling that if I spend any more time on this chapter I'm going to drive myself insane. Ho**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off I'm sorry it took me so long to write this. I had a lack of motivation. Also please be grateful that I posted this chapter. I am officially distraught after having to re-re-type this after: 1. I forgot to save it and 2. when I also forgot to save it. So PLEASE… enjoy.**

Ghost sighed contently, warmth spread throughout his body and his muscles felt more relaxed than he could ever recall. He nuzzled his head into the softness that rubbed against his face. _"Wait… Softness?" _ Ghost opened his eyes to see a tuft of blood hair obstructing his view. Memories from last night flooded his mind and he paused, _"to hell with it, I'm comfortable, I haven't slept this well in forever. I'm not moving." _ With that Ghost snuggled up closer to Gary and slightly groaned. Fuck, it just felt good. Just as Ghost was falling back asleep he heard a snicker, than a white flash filled his eye lids. His eyes snapped open and at first he didn't move, but it wasn't long until more snickers could be heard and another flash filled his sight. Ghost snapped strait up in bed and looked to his right. There, standing like total idiots, was Chemo, Rocket, and Meat, who happened to be holding a camera, with fading grins on their faces.

Ghost looked over to the nightstand that had a clock on it. _"6:00 A.M.? Shit." "GET OUT YOU BLOODY BASTARDS!" _Ghost yelled. Of course he tried standing up as he yelled this, which didn't quite have the effect he wanted when both him and Gary went tumbling into a heap on the floor tangled up in blankets. Ghost groaned loudly as one of Garys elbows hit him in the crotch, causing him to curl over in pain. "Ow." He simply stated tightly. Ghost heard laughter and another flash before the door to the room was slammed shut. For a moment everything was quiet except for the sounds of Ghost panting as he recovered. The silence was broken as Gary spoke, "I forgot to set the alarm…"

"No shit Sherlock." Ghost mumbled. He slowly sat up and sat against the bed frame next to Gary.

"I'm sorry if I just ruined your career."

Ghost shook his head, "No worries bug. 'Tavish'll help get this under control." Ghost thought about what Gary had said and felt butterflys in his stomach. _"If Shepard gets ahold of those pictures…"_ He felt Gary shrug next to him and looked over at the younger man. He saw the worry on his face and placed a hand on Garys cheek, pulling his head so he was forced to look at him. "Hey, don't worry about it. Relax mate, you've got the day off." He watched as Gary nodded his head slowly. He gently grabbed Gary's hands, frowning as he turned them over to look at knuckles that had swollen red. He lifted the hands up, kissing each knuckle gently, looking up at Gary all the while. "I mean it." He murmured over the last knuckle. He felt Gary shiver as he let his breath trickle over Gary's hand.

"Ok Ghost."

Ghost smirked before lifting up his balaclava, just enough for him to place a kiss on Garys lips. As he pulled away he was happy to see that Gary's face seemed more relaxed. Nodding slightly Ghost stood up slowly, adjusting his balaclava so no more hair was sticking out.

"Come on. Let's go get something to eat. Aye?"

Gary nodded and got up stiffly, wincing at the stiffness in his shoulders. Stretching his arms he spread his arms up over his head and groaned as he felt his shoulder pop. Just as he was reaching down to grab a shirt that had been flung onto the floor he froze, glancing at Ghost who was eyeing him. Gary raised an eyebrow, "Like what you see?"

Ghost only grunted and reached past Gary to grab his sunglasses on the night stand ignoring the close proximity. Just as he placed the glasses over his eyes he felt his body get thrown into the wall. He let out an involuntary groan from both the pain of getting slammed into the wall and pleasure as he felt teeth graze his neck.

"Fuck Gary. Not now. I'm starving." He felt Gary's breath against his skin and looked down. The brown eyes that looked up at him captivated his thoughts as he slowly brought a thumb up to graze the mans cheek. "Later?" Gary nodded then stepped away, letting Ghost go through the doorway. Ghost couldn't help but jump and spin around in a flurry as he felt a hand slap against his butt. He glared at Gary who had a playful look in his eyes and growled, "If you do that again I swear I'll ducktape you to the front of a Humvee and let you sit there in-front of the whole taskforce for the day."

"Awww, I'm glad you care so much about me."

Ghost snorted. "Come on, let's go get something to eat." And with that Ghost yanked Gary out of the room and walked side by side to the mess hall.

By the time they got to the entrance Roach was a nervous wreck. As he entered the room with Ghost he nervously glanced at his table to see everyone eyeing him. When he had gotten his food he started to step towered the familiar table when he saw the looks everyone was giving him. He looked around to see no open spots. He sighed and was about to take his food outside when he felt a nudge from behind. Glancing back he saw that Ghost had nudged him with his elbow.

"C'mon mate, you're sitting with me today."

"Uh… really?"

"It's fine. MacTavish won't care."

Roach nodded and slowly fallowed Ghost. When he sat himself next to Ghost he glanced sheepishly at his captain before picking at his food. MacTavish raised an eyebrow at Ghost who gave him a look.

"So you two together?" Roach choked on the pancake he had been shoveling down while Ghost glared evenly at John. Ghost glanced over at Gary who was hacking up a lung and raised his arm, slamming a palm down onto Gary's back, effectively dislodging the food.

"You ok mate?"

"Yeah, thanks..."

Just then Meat walked into the mess, glaring at Roach the entire way as he sat down. Gary couldn't help it as his eyes bulged as he took in Meats face.

"Shite, you tenderized his face." MacTavish spoke without thinking. With two black eyes, a bandaged nose, and a cut on his cheek bone and jaw along with a distinct bruise on his cheek in the shape of knuckles, you couldn't really blame him. He glanced at Roach who was blushing profusely, averting his eyes and hunching over trying to minimize the glares that were being directed at him. Ghost felt distressed as he watched the regret that flashed across Gary's face. Without thinking he placed his arm over Gary's shoulder, squeezing the other man's shoulder. MacTavish watched as Ghost leaned over and whispered something into Gary's ear, watching as the younger man visibly relaxed.

"Well that about answers my question."

Gary looked on as Ghost visibly kicked MacTavish in the shin under the table, only to swear as he was kicked in return.

"Ok fine, be a bitch. I've got to start training soon anyway." He hesitated before removing his arm from around Gary, smirking as he saw the pout on the younger man's face as he did so. "Go relax, enjoy yourself."

Mumbling under his breath Gary grouched, "I was enjoying myself just fine…." Ghost laughed loudly before standing up. Yelling out some orders he ushered everyone outside until Gary and MacTavish sat alone. After a moment of silence MacTavish spoke up,

"You know, I haven't heard him laugh like that in over two years." Smiling he got up and patted Gary on the shoulder before he also stood up and stretched. "Well, like always I've got some paperwork to do. Listen to Ghost and go relax. I'd take advantage of this time if I were you. I don't even remember the last time I got to take a break."

Gary nodded and looked up at MacTavish. "Thank you sir."

MacTavish chuckled. "Please just call me John. You call Shepard sir."

"Ok… er… John."

John grinned down at the kid before walking away, smiling as he heard the first of yells from Ghost outside.

Outside with Ghost…

"What in the bloody hell was that? I swear you guys are purposefully trying to piss me off." Ghost leaned over and grabbed Chemo by the scruff of his shirt, hauling him up. All around him men were trying to learn the new hand to hand combat he was teaching them.

"Ok you know what? Fuck this, everybody get over here!" Chemo started to walk away, only to be dragged back by his shirt by a fumeing Ghost. "Nah ah. You're my volunteer." Turning Ghost acknowledged the entire group that had made a semi-circle around him. "I don't know how half of you are still alive if all you know is how to throw a hook. Let's learn something useful, such as dodging a knife attack." Shaking his head in distaste Ghost reached into his vest and pulled out his knife. Handing it over to Chemo he nodded, spreading his arms out. "Stab me."

Chemo stared blankly for a moment. He knew Ghost was crazy, but stabbing the skull masked man with a real knife really wasn't a favorable decision right now, especially when he knew how much the man hated him right now.

"Uh… Really?"

"What else would I be referring to."

Chemo swallowed the bile in his mouth before adjusting the knife in his hand so that his palm was face down with the knife sticking out to the right. With a nod from Ghost he lunged forward with his right leg, arching his arm to bring the knife around to slice across the throat. Ghost easily ducked under the arm, turning as he did so that his back was facing Chemo. Snapping out his left arm Ghost elbowed Chemo in the stomach while also shoving his head down with his right hand. Taking advantage of the bent over body Ghost adjusted his left arm and flipped Chemo head over heels so that he landed with a pained grunt on his back. Quickly fallowing so Chemo didn't have time to recover Ghost straddled Chemo's stomach so that he couldn't take in the air he had lost. Putting his right forearm against Chemo's neck he snapped his left hand against Chemo's that was holding the knife, effectively causing it to drop to the ground. Snatching up the knife Ghost pressed hard on Chemo's neck and shoved the knife up flush with Chemo's neck. All this happened within the span of a few seconds. While the group surrounding them gaped as they tried to comprehend what had just happened, Ghost growled at Chemo lowely so nobody else could hear.

"You pull any more shit like you have the past few days I won't think twice about slitting your throat, understood?"

At first Chemo didn't respond but when he felt the blade against his neck nick his skin he nodded slightly, to afraid to make a bigger movement in case the knife cut further into his skin. Ghost nodded slightly before stepping off of Chemo who took in a large gasp of breath. As he stood up he placed his hand against his neck. When he pulled away he couldn't help but notice the small smear of blood on his finger.

Ghost turned to the still gaping group. Everyone could hear the dark smile behind his mask as he spoke.

"Well get going. The first group to get that move down gets an extra half hour of sleep tomorrow."

With that everyone began to hurriedly master down the move, not wanting to end up like Chemo who was now watching Ghost out of the corner of his eye at every moment.

**Ok I just wanted to remind everyone that this does take place in a fictional world, so because writing missions doesn't appeal to me, don't expect a mission any time soon. Also I seriously need opinions about what you guys would think if this story moved to M… and I mean ****seriously**** M. If you don't want this story to go that way, I really need you to review or message me. I don't want to upset any readers.**


	5. Chapter 5

**SO sorry for the long wait! I just got back from boot camp and a whole bunch of other crap, plus loss of motivation…. Yeah.**

**Ok so this story will probably end up being rated M. So heads up to anyone against MxM or just, well you get the point. By the way, if you haven't noticed, reviews tend to motivate authors, even if it's a simple, "Plz Continue!", it still gets the story up faster. *wink*wink*hint*hint*. **

**On with the story!**

Roach grunted as he dropped the weights he had been lifting. Sighing he looked around, the musty smell of the weight room flooding his nostrils. When Ghost had said take the day off he probably didn't mean this, but what else was he supposed to do? It's not like he could go bowling or anything. The closest thing to the base was a public bar, and they weren't allowed to go there without MacTavish or Ghost. At the thought of Ghost Gary paused. What exactly was going on between him and his Lieutenant? It had all happened so fast, that Gary wasn't honestly very sure of what his feelings towered the man were. Was it just a fling, or was it something more? Lost in his thoughts, Gary jumped as out of the blue he heard a door slam and watched as a non to happy Chemo stormed into the room and immediately slammed his fist into one of the hanging punching bags, only to recoil in pain when his wrist was tweeked. Gary raised an eyebrow as he heard the other mumbling.

"Fuckin' bastard thinks he can just push me around like a fuckin' ragdoll." Chemo punched the bag again as hard as he could, not noticing the figuring off to the side. In a very rough British accent he mocked, "Let's learn something useful, such as dodging a knife!"

At this point Roach was seriously curious as to what Chemo was referring to. Clearing his throat he stepped into view, stopping the fuming Chemo mid punch.

"Everything alright Chemo?"

"No! Everything is NOT alright! Your boyfriend just made me look like a total idiot in-front of everyone!"

Gary stared at Chemo for a moment. Shocked at the sudden outburst he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Boyfriend?"

Chemo rolled his eyes. "Yes. Boyfriend. Asshole. Jackass. Freak. AKA Ghost. I mean seriously. You have to be a freak to nearly cut the throat of one of your own team mates."

Gary's eyes widened as, upon inspection, he could see the blood that was starting to trickle down Chemo's throat. Sighing heavily Gary looked Chemo in the eye.

"Ok, I'm sorry, but you did kinda deserve it. Can we just call a truce? I'm sure none of us really feel like dealing with this drama anymore, besides Meat of course. I'll talk to Ghost, ok?" Gary held out his hand, wincing as Chemo crushed his bruised knuckles in the handshake.

"Yeah, Meat… He's gonna kill you, you do know that right?"

Gary scoffed, "Yeah. Right. I think you forgot the Boyfriend, Asshole, Jackass, Freak, AKA Ghost part."

"Hey look, let's make a deal. You go and chill out Ghost, and I'll chill out Meat. Sound good?"

Roach nodded as he let go of Chemo's hand, only to stop when Chemo tightened his grip. Gary couldn't help but gasp at the crushing in his sore hand. He looked up at Chemo, eyebrow raised.

"Seriously though Gary, I'm sorry about the whole taunting thing, both for the whole computer and Ghost thing. That's your business, not mine."

Gary smiled, "It's no big deal." Wiggling his hand out of the vice like grip Gary smiled at Chemo. "Where is Ghost anyway?"

Chemo looked at the clock mounted on the wall, "I'd guess he's headed back to his room."

Gary nodded and headed towored the door, then glanced back at Chemo who was now scrutinizing his wrist that he had hurt. "Thanks again Chemo." He grinned at the small nod of acknowledgement, before exiting the room.

Gary knocked on Ghost's door. "Ghost, you in there?"

There was a small pause before the door opened up to show a tired Ghost, assumed because of the slouched posture.

"Oh hey Roach, what's up?"

Gary smiled, finding the tired man actually cute at the moment. It was nice to see him some-what relaxed and not yelling. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, right, sure. Come on in."

Gary looked around at the neat room, a laptop humming in the corner on a small desk piled with almost as many papers as MacTavishes. At the window a small air conditioner buzzed. Ghost sat down on his bed with a huff and looked at Gary.

"So how's your day been going?"

Gary just waved his hand dismissively and glared at Ghost.

"What? Did I do something?" Ghost said, already defensive.

Gary snorted. "What the hell did you do to Chemo?" There was a pause for a moment before Ghost gruffly responded.

"Oh… that…"

"Yeah, that."

"Well he pissed me off!"

A smirk filled Gary's features as the realization that he could irk Ghost entered his mind.

"And running around cutting everybody's throat when you're mad isn't always the greatest of ideas Ghost! The last thing you want is for MacTavish to start thinking you're unfit for duty!" Gary said exasperated.

Ghost huffed, "He wouldn't do that."

"I wouldn't doubt it. Now why did he make you mad? C'mon Ghost, stop trying to avoid the subject."

Ghost didn't say anything, just looked down at his gloved hands.

"Ghost…"

There was more silence.

"Come on Ghost, quit playing around."

… "Call me Simon."

Gary stared at him for a moment. "What?"

"Simon, that's my name. Call me Simon."

Gary looked at Simon for a moment, confused before he moved to sit next to him on the bed cross legged so he faced him. When he got comfortable he tugged Simon's hand so that he looked at him. Slowly, so as not to startle him, Gary gently pulled off the man's sunglasses to reveal troubled eyes. "What is this, between you and me." At first Simon didn't say anything, but when he looked into those brown eyes he felt his heart crack.

"Honestly I don't know. All I know is that I have feelings for you… I… well I…" Simon groaned and slammed his head into his hands, not knowing how he could say what he wanted.

"Simon…"

Ghost looked up to see Gary looking at him, a soft expression on his face. "Yeah?"

"What happened today? Outside with the men."

Ghost sighed heavily. He should've known Gary wouldn't drop it.

"I… well after all that they had done to you. All the taunting and teasing, I dunno, I just wanted to, well, scare him a bit."

Gary sighed shaking his head. "I don't think it was me who needed a break."

Ghost hunched his shoulders, trying not to let the words hurt him.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but really Simon, I think you believe me to be weaker than I really am. Seriously."

Laughing weakly Ghost glanced at Gary who was gazing at him with now humorous eyes. "True that. I'm sorry bug, I'm not like myself."

"Yep."

Suddenly Gary's door flew open and a frustrated MacTavish walked in.

"Bloody hell, I never knew it would be so damn hard to find you two."

Both looked at MacTavish in surprise, not sure how to react. Finally Gary spoke up, "uh, sir?"

MacTavish sighed. "Shepards got a mission for us three. I need your arses outside and at the heli in 5, got it?"

Ghost looked at Gary whose face seemed to immediantly sink. Mumbling under his breath Gary spoke, "So much for a break," before getting up off his bed, stretching, and walking out with Simon trailing behind him.

5 min. later…

Yelling over the _wup-wupping_ of the helicopter Ghost yelled out at MacTavish, "So who are we going after?"

"A man named Gonzorig," at this MacTavish paused and stared at his paper, "bloody hell I've not a clue how to say this name… uh…Narantsatsralt (legit name) , who was born in Mongolia, has been sighted for possible involvement with Russia in a trade of possible Bioweapons. Our job is to breach his safe house just south of the Russian border and take him alive, bring him back to base, where he'll be held for interrogation." At this Simon huffed, had it been his choice he would've just done it there and then. Of course Shepard would give them this shit. MacTavish glared at Ghost, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "We'll go over everything else when we land."

4 Hours Later…

Gary wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, then wiped his goggles that had been smeared with dirt, decided to fidget with his safety, then glanced to his right at Simon who was doing a last check on his gun. He glanced to his left at MacTavish who would be providing them sniper cover while they retrieved the intel. With a shrug of his shoulders to loosen up his neck, Gary fallowed Simon as they headed down the hill to the safe house, alert eyes scanning the ground for any sign of movement. With a nod from Simon, Gary set the C4 on the door, moved aside, and couldn't help but flinch as the explosion ringed in his ears. Not long after gunshots were heard as first Ghost than Gary charged into the room. Gary shot down 2 men before a risked a glance at Simon who had taken cover behind a counter. Turning sharply Gary crouched behind a desk and watched as two more men dropped, presumably by John, then turned to Ghost when suddenly an explosion filled the room. Wood filled Gary's eyesight before he felt the breath get knocked out of him as he hit the floor. Stunned, Gary's ears rang as he let out a groan. Searing pain radiated from his body. Looking down he watched as blood started to pool from his leg.

"I… I gotta get up... I gotta get up." Gary choked out as he raised his arm for something to pull himself up on. He let out a scream as a bullet shot through his forearm. Blackness overwhelmed his sight before his head fell against the ground.

Ghost watched as almost in slow motion Gary was thrown down to the ground and peppered with wood and shrapnel.

"ROACH!" Suddenly Ghost's earpiece buzzed and Soap's voice rang in his head.

"Ghost, get out of there! You've got at least 30 tangos coming in from the rear."

"But Roach…"

"Can't be helped. I'm not going to lose both of you, now move your arse!"

Ghost sobbed as he looked at the unmoving body across the room. He felt his mask stick to him as tears streamed down his face. Without thinking he ran across the room, diving next to Gary.

"Roach come on man. Get up!" Searching his face Ghost saw no signs of movement. He ducked his head as bullets flew around him.

"Ah shit. I… I'll come back for you mate. Don't worry… you can't be dead."

Ghost ducked as bullets flew over his head.

"Ghost, I'm not gonna tell you again! Move your arse!"

"Roger that Soap…"

And with that Ghost ran out to meet up with Soap. He felt his body shudder as a thought went through his head. Before it was just a saying, but now it had much more meaning for him.

Mission Failed.

**Good? Bad? Whatever? Come on, I think I did ok. I know it took forever for me to update, but I have quite a few ideas in my head right now. Review? Maybe? Possibly? No? Fine be that way. *sniff***


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok all of your reviews made my day, seriously. I am very grateful for the lengthy reviews. They really helped me get an idea of where I should bring this story. Also this is the last warning for any people who are against mXm. I don't want someone reading than go…. "Wholy S***". Kay? Good. Any complaints pm me.**

"Soap we have to go back for him!"

"Ghost get in the bloody chopper! You're full of shrapnel and we need to get you fixed up!"

"But Roach!" Ghost ringed his hands together, sweat running down the back of his neck.

"I hate it just as much as you do, but I really need you to work with me here!" Soap glanced over his shoulder as gunfire sounded closer. He looked back at the hectic soldier in-front of him, then at the medic in the helicopter. With a silent nod and a switch of his eyes the medic nodded.

"Oh God… he's dead… Soap, he's dead! I failed him I… ah fuck…"

Soap caught the limp body of Ghost with a grunt as the medic injected a sedative into Ghost's neck.

"I'm sorry Ghost, but we gotta get outa here."

With some help from the medic Soap lifted the limp body into the helicopter. As the aircraft took off he gave a sad glance back at the warehouse before watching the medic tend to his friend, ignoring the sound of gunfire.

Darkness. That was the first thing Gary noticed. The second was the throbbing pain coursing through his body. Gary groaned, only to realize it was muffled by a gag. His forehead itched where a cloth covered his eyes, his eyelashes scrunched.

"_Fuck."_

His ears perked when a Russian accent filled his ears, only with a slightly different ring than what he had heard before.

"Go get the boss. He's waking up."

He heard some shuffling before a door closed. It wasn't much later that he heard more footsteps. With a harsh movement the cloth covering his eyes was removed. Blinking as his eye's adjusted, Gary looked around and noticed he was in what he presumed as a single, underground safe house they were un-aware of. As Gary's gaze sweaped the room he looked up at the figure standing at his feet and into the face that belonged to non-other than Gonzorig.

"Ok American, we'll just get to the point. Where is your base?"

Gary sighed. _"Seriously? Old school huh." _Gary didn't say anything, just stared down at his feet.

Gonzorig grabbed a handful of Gary's hair and yanked his head back, eliciting a small gasp from the younger man. "How about we start with something easier. What's your name?"

Gary glared at the man before spitting as much saliva as he could conjure into the man's face.

"Go fuck yourself."

He watched as the man smirked before drawing out a knife from his belt.

"Have it your way…"

"Wait!"

Both Gary and Gonzorig jerked their heads as one of the men standing off to the side spoke up. He was pale with thinning brown hair. Deep bags under his eyes and sunken in cheeks gave him the look of a man with many sleepless nights.

"I see this man before."

Gary's eyes widened and he twisted his tied hands nervously. _"What the hell?"_

Gonzorig jerked his head at the man. "Where?"

"Uh… computer. Yes, computer. I show you." The small framed man reached over to a small dusty laptop on a table in the center of the room. Gary, with his legs tied to the chair and his arms behind his back couldn't do anything but crane his neck as Gonzorig pushed the man aside. Gary felt the blood drain from his face as the computer was turned so he could see the screen.

"It seems, boys, that we have an American model amongst us. Though I am curious, how do you go from being a model to a soldier in the special forces?"

Gary could only stare at the screen in disbelief. _"They should've cleared that last week!" _Hanging his head Gary only shrugged, not trusting himself to speak. He heard a tsking from Gonzorig, then without warning the man lunged forward and stabbed the knife he was holding into his side. Gary screeched as the pain radiated threw his body.

With a pained whine Gary whispered under his breath, shaking his head back and forth to clear the pain in his head as he tried in vain to stop the tears that swelled up into his eyes. Flinching as he felt a palm pat his cheek, his eye's raised to glare at Gonzorig.

"See, if you'd just tell me where you're stationed, that wouldn't have happened."

Gary groaned as the knife was pulled out from his side, only to be placed at his left temple.

"Now" Gonzolig paused and looked back at the screen, "Gary Sanderson, where is your base located?"

Whimpering, blood started to drip down into his eye as the blade dug into his temple, then dragged along his left brow where it paused just above his nose.

"You ready to tell me?"

Gary shook his head as tears dripped from his chin. With a quick jerk the knife raked down diagonally across his nose to his right cheek. Gary pulled and twisted his hands against the handcuffs that were holding his hands, causing his wrist to bleed from his efforts. Screams filled the room. Gary sobbed in pain, both from the pain bolting form his head and into his toes, but also from the severe heart ache that was brought on from the thought of never seeing Simon again.

"_He left me. He probably thinks I'm dead…" _ At this realizations Gary's body was wracked with new sobs his body shuddering in painful spasms. All the while Gonzorig watched with interest.

"Will you tell me where your base is?"

Gary shook his head.

"Shame. You are just a boy."

Gary looked up in hopes of seeing a form of pity in his captor's eyes. Instead he found a mischievous glint. Just as he looked up, the knife that was cutting into his cheek was shoved threw his cheek and into his mouth, piercing his opposite cheek and scraping against his tongue. Gary's mouth opened wide in an ear splitting scream, only to have his skin torn even more from the stretching of his skin. When the knife was retracted he could taste the blood flooding into his mouth and gurgled as it ran down his throat. Without thinking he spat a large gob of blood out, only to watch in horror as it splattered all over Gonzorig's shirt.

At first the man just stood still, then looking down at his shirt he pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and dabbed at the blood. With a sniff of disdain he tossed the bloodied cloth to the side and turned back to his men speaking some words Gary didn't understand. He watched as the drawn man from earlier nodded slightly, grabbed a syringe off the small table at the side of the room, walked up to Gary, who was now sobbing uncontrollably and shoved the needle into his neck.

Gary flinched as he felt his body slacken. Failing at keeping his eyes open, he welcomed the darkness that surged into his mind, and as he felt his conscience slip away, he used the last of his energy to conjure up a picture of Simon.

***Russian is a minor language in Mongolia.**

**I know it's not very long, but it's been forever since I updated and I wanted to get this up for anyone who's still reading this. **

**I'm sorry for any typos, but I felt somewhat rushed. **

**Understand please that my life is hectic right now, and with little time on the computer, life isn't making it very easy for me to get on here and work on this story. I just want everyone to know that I haven't forgotten about this. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! More reviews! In my book that's unheard of for me, so thank you all for making this story possible! :D Also I apologize once more for how short the last chapter was, I'll try to make this one longer.**

When the helicopter landed at the Task Force base, nobody expected them to be one man short, and the fact that Ghost had to be carried out unconscious with bloody bandages wrapped around his torso scared everyone; Ghost never got hit. After Soap dropped Ghost off in the infirmary, Meat was the first one to confront him about Roach being gone. At first he hesitated, put off by the look on Soaps face, which was drawn, and at closer inspection he could see tear tracks in the dirt covering his face, distorting the war paint he was wearing.

"Excuse me sir, but everyone's wondering what happened. Roach isn't with you and Ghost is… well…" Meat shrugged, his heart fluttering with nervousness as MacTavish looked at him with hallow eyes.

"Roach was taken captive. His position is unknown. Ghost is recovering from shock. The mission was failed. Anything else?"

Meat stood there, his mouth going dry. He shook his head as he felt his knees go weak. The last time he had seen Roach he had treated him horribly and now he may never see him again. Nodding to his captain he slowly turned around and walked towered his teammates, swallowing the lump in his throat as he started to explain what had happened, knowing the captain wasn't going to any time soon.

2 Hours Later…

Ghost groaned as he woke up to a banging in his head. He cracked his eyes open, flinching as the sterile white walls of the infirmary jabbed at his skull. Sunlight streamed through the window above the bed, telling him it was near lunch. He slowly propped himself stiffly up in the bed, leaning over to put his head in his hands as nausea built up in his throat. Swallowing it down he thought of the previous mission and felt hatred at the sob that emitted from his throat, the loss of Gary hitting him in the stomach like someone had hit him with a bat. Suddenly a stinging in his side grabbed his attention and he raised the shirt he was wearing to inspect it. Bandages wrapped tightly around his torso and he could see slashes of blood where it had stained threw overnight. He'd have to get the bandages changed soon. He sighed as an ache started to pulse throughout his body. As he leaned his head back into the pillow behind him he noticed a black cloth on the nightstand next to the bed and realized it was his balaclava and sunglasses. It was then he noticed the tearing hunger pains. Reaching over he grasped the balaclava and slipped it over his unruly hair, the sunglasses fallowing soon after. With a grunt he got up slowly, feeling his back pop as he did so. Sighing he stretched his arms over his head, careful not to stretch his stomach to much before he headed to the mess hall, which he soon regretted because as soon as he walked in it seemed every eye was on him. He looked around and was disappointed as he realized John wasn't in the room. Shrugging he walked over and grabbed a tray, only to realize as he sat down at an empty table that he probably wouldn't be able to stomach the food. He stared at the plate of food and let himself get lost in his own dark thoughts, only to jump in surprise as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He spun around only to be met with the sullen face of Meat who was holding something behind his back, looking shy of all things.

"What is it." Ghost said flatly, not in the mood for Meats snide remarks.

"Well… me and the guys have been talking… and we all know how much Gary means to you…"

Ghost raised his eyebrows curiously as Meat said Gary's real name. He felt himself get defensive at the mention of his relationship with Gary. "Yeah, your point being…?"

To his astonishment Meat shuffled his feet before holding out a digital photo out to Ghost. "The guys, including myself, just thought…" at this Meat faded off as Ghost snatched the photo quickly from Meats hand.

Glancing down at the photo Ghost froze. The picture was from 2 days ago when he had been sleeping with Gary. Ghost was spooning Gary, his arm over Gary's torso, with their fingers intertwined, and his head nestled into the crook of Gary's neck.

"It's the only picture we could find of him…"

Ghost slowly pulled his sunglasses off to see it in its normal color, slowly slipping his glasses into the collar of his shirt. Ghost opened his mouth only to hear a choke come out. He immediately clamped his mouth shut, not wanting his voice to sound weak in-front of the others. Without thinking he stood up sharply, tipping his chair back, the sound of it clattering against the floor silencing the room. He looked at Meat who looked back nervously, not having seen Ghost's eyes before, the pain he saw in those ice blue eyes made him want to take a step back, the only reason he hadn't due to sheer will. He couldn't help but notice the tear that slipped out of the edge of Ghost's left eye, only to be soaked into the fabric of his skull balaclava. Ghost felt his throat tighten before he walked stiffly away to his room, the picture grasped tightly in his hand as he walked.

By the time he reached his room his breath was coming in ragged sobs. As he shut his door behind him he stood still just staring at the picture before he slowly sunk to his knees. He hunched over and watched as a tear dropped down onto the photo. Ghost wrapped his arms around his stomach before his mouth stretched open, all the anger and sorrow he felt spilling out in an agonized yell.

**Felt like focusing just on Ghost. Also, because I know it annoys everyone, I'm going to ask you to review.**

**:D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Let me just apologize for the REALLY late update. I just want you guys to understand with finals, the end of school coming, summer, plus with boot-camp coming up, I am seriously swamped here. Also just a little heads up I won't have ANY internet access during the entire month of June and some of July, so I'll try to get a whole bunch of stuff up as fast as I can. **

**I'd also like to thank all of the WONDERFUL reviews. Without them this chapter would have never gotten up.**

2 Months. 2 Months since Gary had been taken captive and from then on pointless missions and sleepless nights. As each day passed Ghost felt himself become more drawn from the men. He still did his job keeping the men in line, but as time went by Ghosts hope in finding Gary dwindled. Shepard showed no signs of wanting to look for him, and no matter how hard Soap tried to persuade him otherwise. What Ghost did know is that with each passing day that Gary stayed missing, his love for the man only grew.

Gary's POV

Gary eyed the needle that was being prepared for him, a clear liquid filling the syringe. As Gonzorig turned to him with his obnoxious grin, Gary felt himself shiver as goose-bumps covered his skin.

"What is that…?" Gary croaked out nervously as he ignored the fresh burns on his arms from earlier in the day, his skin charred, dirty rags wrapped around them, covering up the injuries in a feeble attempt to protect them from infection.

Gonzorig shrugged lamely, "Just another little concoction I made up."

Gary sighed, _"Great, more experiments." _Loosening his arm as the needle slipped into his vein, Gary looked away and instead focused on a crack in the ceiling, waiting to feel the effects of the drug.

"This should make you talk. Now I know the last few attempts weren't very successful, you laughing for hours and all, but I have high hopes for this one."

It wasn't 20 minutes later that Gary felt his body relax. He felt a moment of dread before that too drifted away. Even his arms that were burned didn't seem to hurt so badly. He watched as Gonzorig leaned forward, both hands on the arms of the chair Gary was strapped to.

"Now I've kept you alive for long enough. Tell me where you're stationed and I may consider your release."

Gary smiled weakly, "It would be nice to see Ghost again…"

Gonzorig nodded encouragingly, "I'm sure it would. Now what are the coordinates."

Gary frowned as if in thought. "Honestly I'm surprised no one has found it yet…" and just like that, numbers started to spill unknowingly from Gary's mouth.

6 Hours Later…

The drug flowed threw his system like venom burning him from the inside out. Gary screamed out, his voice raspy as he clutched his head in pain. His bowels rumbled miserably, and his heart stabbed at his ribcage like a caged animal. The burns on his arms bled profusely and the new yet weak scar tissue on his cheek stretching painfully, the cold concrete of his cells floor chilling his body, the new stubble on his jaw providing no relief from the cold. He felt his body radiate pain as his muscles cramped and spasm from the liquid that had been used on him earlier. Tears streamed down his face as his body broke. He had betrayed everyone, but worst of all, he had betrayed Simon.

Ghost POV

Ghost sighed as he landed heavily onto his bed. Another useless mission, though today they had only lost one person. He spared a quick glance at the photo of him and Gary on his nightstand longingly before looking at his clock. 3:00 A.M. He groaned as his ears rang with the sound of gunfire. He glanced down at his hands to see there was blood under his fingernails and that the skin of his hands was stained a rusty colored hue. Scowling he got up quickly and walked briskly to the shared bathroom down the hall. Turning on the sink the scalding water enveloped his hands as he scrubbed his fingernails vigorously, ignoring the searing heat. He watched as if in a daze as the water went from clear to a red, then a soft pink as the blood swirled down the drain. After a while the heat on his hands became unbearable, and as he drew them back he saw how new scratches and burns bled small weaving trails down his hands to his fingertips. Looking up into the mirror above the sink he gazed at the mask that was reflected back at him. He hated that mask. He was weak, so scared of himself and his past that he couldn't even look at his own face anymore. Rage built up in his stomach, all his failures, all the lives that had died at his hands. Everyone he had loved and cared for were gone because of him. Without thinking his fist went darting out, the mirror shattering beneath his fist as he yelled out. Footsteps could be heard before the door went flying open to reveal a wild eyed MacTavish in his plain black boxers. When his eyes landed on Ghosts bloodied fist he sighed wearily. Ghost started plucking shards of glass from his hand as MacTavish turned his head to the side and spoke something low. Ghost had probably woken up all the guys in the hall and was telling them to go back to bed. Looking back at Ghost, John sighed again before stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him.

"You want to talk about it?"

Ghost shook his head as he continued to pull out the shards of glass.

MacTavish nodded silently as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall.

"I want you to get cleaned up. You're going back to the states next week. You'll have to stay away for at least 2 months before you're cleared fit for combat. Am I understood?"

Ghost nodded numbly as a feeling of dread overwhelmed him, the thought of a civilian life scaring him of all things. Soap nodded somewhat satisfied before he exited the room, knowing there was nothing more to be said.

Gary's POV

"You betrayed them. You are a disgrace!"

Gary shook his head and rocked in his chair, tears of guilt streaming down his face as his stomach lurched once more. A rash had begun to form on his legs from his own soiled pants, the stench only adding to his humiliation as he thought of what he had said yesterday.

"No…"

"Yes! And just imagine what this Ghost character will think of you!"

"NO!" Gary yelled back, his body shuddering with fever.

Gonzorig stopped pacing in front of Gary and bent down over the pitiful man. "Can you see their faces when they find you? Hmmm?"

Gary sobbed as the familiar feeling of a knife grazed his throat, a cry escaping him as a 4 inch cut along his neck was made, just to see Gary cringe. He cringed as Gonzorig whistled and 2 men walked into the room. Gary shied away as they came closer only to be untied from the chair and cuffed with his hands behind his back.

"Now you will be returned, and you shall live your life in fright and misery, the scars a friendly reminder of how pointless your life really is, and how weak you have become."

Gary sobbed again as a needle was inserted into his now hole pocketed neck, and the all-to familiar darkness took a hold of him.

Ghost POV

The familiar sound of the helicopter blades did nothing to comfort Ghost as the helicopter took off. As he gazed down at the group of men watching the helicopter fly away, he couldn't prevent the lump that formed in his throat. He hadn't left this place in over 3 years, and now he was expected to live a normal life as a civilian for 2 months. He grazed his hand over his masked cheek, the fabric comforting his tense body. He knew MacTavish had made the right decision, but the fact that he had had to make the decision in the first place was a wake-up call. Clasping his hands together tightly between his legs, his elbows settle on his knees as he hung his head low.

"_What have I done?" _Ghost thought desperately. Now all his chances of finding Gary had gone down the drain. All he could do now was put all his hopes into trusting that MacTavish could finish the job.

**Hope this chapter was satisfying, for those that are still reading this. If any of you are like me and have pretty much read all the Call of Duty fanfictions on here, if you haven't read them already you might like a few of my other stories. They're all one-shots sadly. **


	9. Chapter 9

**And here is chapter 9! Every time I start a new chapter it's like trying to finish the last stretch of a mile. You're excited for the ending, but damn it's hard… **

**ALSO! Please try to be understanding in knowing that as of tomorrow I will be leaving for a 9 day boot camp, from there I get about 1 week before I go to a 2 week training, both of which are far out of state. This means that I probably won't be able to get much of anything up. I feel really guilty about this, but to be honest guys, there's more to life for me than sitting at a computer all day. Besides, I have motivation problems. **

**And with that negative note, let's continue with the story…**

John MacTavish sighed as he walked out to the front gate to check the supply truck that was rolling in. Normally Ghost would be doing this, but he still had to find a replacement and that was turning out to be harder than expected. Apparently to Shepard there wasn't anybody worthy enough. Overall the General was still fuming over the fact that Ghost had to go on leave. He rubbed his temple as the driver got out of the semi and walked around back to open it up. He shook his head impatiently as the man fumbled with the lock.

"_Ghost, I will never forgive you for sentencing me to this and all the extra paper work." _ He thought jokingly, though the grin that formed on his face immediately disappeared when after opening the back, the truck driver scrambled back with an exclamation, turned around, and vomited all over the ground. MacTavish hastily ran to the back of the truck to see what had startled the man, only to freeze in place. A body, or more exact, a skeleton. The man was hog tied on his side surrounded by cardboard boxes. A dark shadow had begun to form on his jaw, his face past recognition from all the scarring. His arm jutted out at an awkward angle, obviously broken, there were old bullet wounds all over his body, and the man's forearms were covered in 3rd degree burns. The entire truck smelt of stale urine. What scared him the most though was the obvious patch that had miraculously stayed intact on the now ragged jacket that hung on the man's frame, and upon closer inspection MacTavish's eyes widened in horror. His throat seized up and he opened his mouth to yell only nothing came out. Swallowing hard he took a few steps back. He looked around frantically before yelling out the first thing that came to mind.

"Medic!"

1 ½ hours Later

By now the entire Task Force was sitting in the medical bay. MacTavish stood pacing in-front of the door while the rest of the men were scattered about; some sitting in the chairs while the rest sat leaning against the wall. Meat was in the worst shape, tears streaming down his face from the stress and mumbling under his breath. "He'll be ok. He's just fine. He's alive. He'll be ok…"

Next to Meat Chemo sat pressed up against him comfortingly. The only one that seemed composed was Archer, whose face was covered by a hard mask. When the medical door opened nearly everyone perked up. The doctor looked seriously at them.

"He's asleep for now, but I don't want anyone in there. We've got an evac on the way to a more suitable hospital in the states. He'll need months of healing for the burns, and as for his mental state… I don't have any idea…"

MacTavish nodded, his face sullen, "You heard the doc boys. Let's go." MacTavish looked sadly at Meat, grasped his shoulder comfortingly, before walking back to his office to report to Shepard and do more paperwork.

Ghost POV

Sitting at the bar, Ghost felt absolutely miserable, the noise, all the people, the flashing lights, all overwhelmed his senses. The only familiar thing was the rum that was grasped in his hands. When he took another sip of the drink he felt a small hand grace his shoulder. Startled Ghost turned his head to see a young blonde smiling at him, watching as her face slowly turned to horror at the site of his face which was covered with old scars from being tortured.

"Oh my God. Are you ok?"

"Ok look. If you want to get laid I'm not the guy. If you do I'd recommend that man over there. He's been eyeing woman for almost an hour now." Ghost pointed to a man of about 30, decent looking, with short brown hair who was at the moment obviously staring at a women's ass who was dancing near him. The woman nodded nervously before awkwardly walking away. Ghost sighed before drinking the rest of him rum and waving the bartender over for another. At this point the bartender knew exactly what he wanted, the fact that Ghost had been a frequent visitor now for nearly a month. The bartender named Tony leaned down across the bar, elbows on the polished wood, chin on fist.

"So. Today any better?"

Ghost looked into the green eyes rimmed with dark eyeliner and grinned weakly. In all honesty he reminded him of Gary, they both even seemed to be the same age.

"Not quite."

The man nodded but stayed where he was. "So you gonna tell me what's going through your head yet or what?"

Ghost eyed the man for a moment. "You really want to know what's going through my head?"

Tony nodded, his eyes never leaving Ghost's face. Of all the people, he was the one person who hadn't shied away from Ghost's scarred face.

Ghost settled into the soft thrum of his drunken mind before speaking.

"Look Tony. You're a nice guy and all, but I really can't tell you anything. All I can say is that I'm in the military, with more blood on my hands than I'd care for, and more friends dead than I thought possible." With that Ghost shrugged before swirling his drink.

Tony stared at him for a moment, his eyes blinked slowly. "Shit man. There's not much I can say to that. What I can say though is that drinking yourself unconscious probably isn't really helping you out that much."

Ghost snorted, "God, you even sound like him."

"Huh?"

"Just an old friend."

"Oh."

Ghost looked down with surprise as his cell phone rang. _"Now who the hell would be calling me."_

"Hello?"

"Ghost, it's Soap."

Ghost looked startled up at Tony before putting his money down on the counter and walking out of the bar, his mind clearing from the drunken haze earlier.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"We got Roach."

Ghost felt his heart skip a beat, his mood brightening immediately. "What? Where is he?"

"I don't know, Shepard won't tell me where they moved him to. All I can say is that they've moved him to a hospital in the states. I just felt like you should know."

At this Ghost visibly deflated, "Well, when did you find him?"

"Last week, but that's the thing Ghost. We didn't find him on a rescue mission, far from it actually. They brought him to us. Somehow they got into our supply system and got him into the base."

"But why would they give him back to you like that?"

"That's the thing. I've got no bloody idea."

Ghost was silent for a moment, troubled. "I don't like it. You need to figure out where Roach is now. Did Shepard say why he won't tell you where Roach is?"

"Same old thing, confidential, for the safety of the security, you know."

A feeling of dread enveloped Ghost. "So we have no idea about what's going on with Roach."

"No."

"Soap, you have to let me come back."

"No Ghost. I need you to stay out there. If you come back here you're farther back into Shepard's rein. I need you to stay out there and search for him on your own while I stay here and keep up with all of Shepard's meetings and such. If you get anything contact me, got it?"

"Soap, I…"

"Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good." And with that Ghost's cell went quiet. Ghost slowly slid his cell into his pocket and shook his head.

"What the hell is going on…"

**I can honestly say I'm disappointed in myself and this chapter. It's more or less just to get me back into the good stuff, but to end off on this and knowing I'm not going to be able to update forever really is a bummer. Once more I'm sorry about, but for all of you guys that have stuck with this story this far I sincerely thank you.**


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